State
BY HANNAH NORTON
Texas education savings account program to take e ect in 2026
The other side
Some opponents of ESAs have expressed con- cerns that the program will divert funding from public school districts facing nancial challenges and unfairly bene t wealthy families. “These private schools are not required to accept your children,” Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos, D Richardson, said on the House oor April 16. “You give up the rights you had in public schools. The full cost of tuition, transportation and textbooks will almost never be covered fully by the voucher.” During the 2023-24 school year, the average cost of Texas private school tuition was $10,965 for kindergarten-eighth grade students and $14,986 for high school students, according to the Texas Private Schools Association.
savings accounts, which families can use to pay for private school tuition and other educational expenses, such as textbooks or transportation. Most participating students will receive 85% of the per-student funding public schools get from state and local sources— about $10,330 in the rst year of the program, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Legislative Budget Board. Texas Education Agency data shows the average Texas public school received $12,815 per student in state and local funds during the 2022-23 school year. Students with disabilities will qualify for up to $30,000 per year under SB 2, while families who homeschool their children can receive up to $2,000 annually .
Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2 into law May 3, putting Texas on track to become at least the 30th state to enact a program that uses public funds for private education. Speaking to over 1,000 attendees in front of the governor’s mansion, Abbott said he was signing “the largest day-one school choice program in the United States.” The program will launch at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year. “Gone are the days that families are limited to only the school assigned to them by [the] government,” Abbott said. “Today has arrived and empowers parents to choose the school that is best for their child.” SB 2 will set aside $1 billion for education
Also of note
Legislative leaders have vowed to raise teacher salaries and public school funding in tandem with the ESA package. State senators unveiled an amended version of House Bill 2, a nearly $8 billion school nance package, on May 15. “We are going to make, through school choice, public schools even more competitive and better,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said during the May 3 event. “It’s not about us against them or them against us.”
Texas lawmakers, state leaders and private school students listen as Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about Senate Bill 2 during a May 3 event.
To read the full story, visit: communityimpact.com/texas-legislature
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